


The Last Gasps of an Aberration

by MeliandreHaberdasher



Category: El Goonish Shive
Genre: Abominations, Character Death, First Person Letter, Gen, Not really a real twist, Pretentious Philosophy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 06:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19056910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeliandreHaberdasher/pseuds/MeliandreHaberdasher
Summary: We move to France, where a notorious monster hunter has finally located an aberration. We move further, inside that aberration's hideout, where he is writing his final thoughts upon knowing he is not long for this world.





	The Last Gasps of an Aberration

**Author's Note:**

> Had this idea, wanted to expunge it from my brain. Maybe one day I'll write a real fic or something.

_I will either die or become a legend._

_My name is unimportant. If I survive, this will be burned. If I do not, pray the person who reads this not pursue my folly._

_The context in which I became an aberration has been lost to time. Perhaps I was a scholar who sought eternal life to keep on learning. An explorer who sought to keep on exploring. With aberrations, anything is an excuse to just live longer. Some consider us to be the antithesis of Immortals, but once you've seen what one of them did to most of us, you know we are barely the shadow of their toenail._

_Needless to say, I am an aberration. I am also preparing for death. There is a saying among my kind – If Noriko has you in her sights, make sure your affairs are in order. Far be it from me to ignore common wisdom. Perhaps leaving behind such a letter guaranteed I would die – If she did not kill me, perhaps I would commit suicide. I would seek out an idealistic healer, unwise in the ways of my kind, and ask for healing. His empathy would cause him to heal me, and I would inevitably die. Healing an aberration requires removing what makes them an aberration in the first place._

_Still, I always felt different from other aberrations. Perhaps it is because I had studied philosophy, eventually learning both eastern and western ancient currents. Perhaps it is because I soon realized that human philosophy was a matter of survival for us aberrations. Confucius said: “When I was fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I walked confidently on the path to Virtue. At forty, I was without confusion. At fifty, I knew the laws of Heaven. At sixty, I understood with no additional thinking all I heard. At seventy, I follow the desires of my heart without transgressing boundaries.” If one seeks to live as an aberration, that last one is very important. It causes less hassle for you in the long run._

_As an example: A century or so ago, I was in a small city off the coast. Nothing major, but a nice area to relax and think. There were rumblings of a serial killer after the third murder in so many months. I took care of that, and earned sustenance for the deed. Did I pity these folk? Absolutely not. However, were I targeting them instead of their hated enemy, attention would have been drawn to the area, and I risked being compromised. Perhaps a monster hunter of the era would have sought me out, and I would have needed to fight. That is survival by virtue. Why place yourself in a vulnerable position just to satisfy an urge, when you can make that urge work for your benefits?_

_Ultimately, all of this justification means nothing. Aberrations feed on humans. Regardless of whether the aberration requires blood, human flesh, or something else, the magics that compose us require sustenance that contains the human element. For us to feed, someone has to die. Even the most righteous man would succumb after years upon years of feasting on humanity – Either through rationalizing his previous actions or through simply accepting that is what he now is._

_Personally, I chose the latter. Hid among humans to keep studying, feed on only acceptable targets so that none may object to their fates. Of course, the mere act of an aberration devouring a human is considered unacceptable for many out there, especially in government and magical spheres. I could make a comment that the former would rather do it themselves, but such a pithy comment is not worth making in what will likely be the last thing I ever write._

_I do not regret becoming an aberration – It has allowed me to continue my research until I forgot about it, at which point I took a long deserved vacation that continues on to this day. It has given me the perspective needed to accept my fate, no matter where it takes me._

_I suppose those who become aberrations with virtuous elements are the ones who fall the hardest. It becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile positive thoughts about one's actions and constantly feeding on humans. Many of the aberrations I knew who fell when the light that killed my kind erupted came from such feelings. Life is unfair, and cheating death comes at a high price, a price that must be paid in others' lives no matter what._

_There are two outcomes to my encounter with Noriko. I kill her, or she kills me. The odds are, naturally, in her favour. Someone with her resolve losing to an aberration that has long sought to avoid combat would be an absolute disaster for humanity, and without humanity, how would we feed? While, yes, I have a firearm for protection, my successfully killing her assumes I will attempt to ambush her as I know she is coming. Either her, or someone she hunts with is within my domain, and they will eventually find this alcove._

_I do not have much time to finish this letter, in part because even if I were to transmit all of my knowledge, there would not be enough time for a year, and I doubt a legendary monster hunter would suffer a monster to live until they have finished their self-appointed duty, doubly so when said monster does not believe in it._

_I would take the moment to flee, and then this song and dance would continue once more. Death waits for no one, and I believe this is my time. Allow me to at least share some advice before I face my death:_

  1. _Do not become an aberration – The benefits were better before, but now that our numbers are few and far between, simply becoming one paints a target upon your back._

  2. _Instead, seek eternal life through renown and transmission of knowledge. Perhaps if I had learned this lesson before, I would not be awaiting my death._

  3. _Life is not sacred, all life must come to an end._

  4. _Do not anger an aberration who is about to die, and who will leave a notorious monster hunter a tip to your position, Pierrot._




_* * *_

“It's done?” asked a shadowy figure to a woman of Japanese descent, sheathing what seemed to be a magical sword.

“Yes. The two aberrations have been exterminated.”

“Two?”

“Needless to say, I am very thorough. Unfortunately, your government lost the services of hunter Pierrot Michelet. You will find his body inside, but quite frankly, I would not bother giving him funeral rites. You will see when you see the body.”

Shocked, the shadowy figure rushed inside, saw the two bodies and began searching the room, only to find a letter...

 


End file.
